This section is intended to introduce the reader to aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure described herein, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure described herein. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
The addition of foaming agents to firefighting water streams is known and can be particularly useful for fighting fires, for example, fires in industrial factories, chemical plants, petrochemical plants and petroleum refineries. The use of compressed air firefighting foam requires that air and a foam concentrate be mixed and added at constant proportions to the water stream. When the foam extinguisher solution is delivered, the foam effectively extinguishes the flames of chemical and petroleum fires as well as Class A materials which would otherwise not be effectively extinguished by the application of water alone. In addition, the amount of air added to the water and foam chemical mixture should be properly regulated, i.e. added in the appropriate proportion. The amount of air introduced into the water and foam chemical mixture is controlled to achieve the desired consistency of foam. Firefighting foam that is either too watery due to insufficient air or too dry due to excessive air is less effective at fighting fires and may even be dangerous. The condition in which an excessive amount of air is introduced with the dispensing nozzle closed to create the foam is commonly referred to as air packing or just packing of the hose.
Further, traditional water-based foam systems require complex equipment which typically must work perfectly together in order to manufacture firefighting foam capable of suppressing and extinguishing the type of fires that they were originally developed for. Examples of such equipment include water, foam concentrate, tanks, a pump producing positive pressure and flow, specialty foam control valves, foam proportioners, foam educators, and aeration devices. Further, manufactured foam from such equipment must then also be used immediately and cannot be stored over a period of time.
In addition, in foaming agent compositions, a liquefied or “dry” inert gas is absorbed into a water base or water/foam composition base. Generally, foaming compositions or water/foam mixtures with any type of liquefied inert gas can lower the pH value of such foaming composition. In addition, it is also generally known that traditional foam/water emulsification in bladder tanks can go bad after a period of time due to the presence of oxygen in such containment areas, which can further result in fungal growth that can take place.
Hence, what is needed is a self-expanding foaming composition that is generated in an inert environment and having an increased pH value that is capable of self-expanding in large volumes, less susceptible to fungal growth within a pressure vessel, can extinguish fire in less time, can be stored for prolonged periods of time without degradation, operate as a stand-alone unit, and is cost-effective to manufacture.